The two had barely walked a short distance from the police station when Xia Qingqing suddenly realized something very important: "Oh no, Uncle Ding's oxcart must have already left."
The thought of having to walk back this time filled Xia Qingqing with dejection.
Her legs are numb; they're probably ruined.
When Zhang Jianguo heard her mention the oxcart, he asked knowingly, "Is it Uncle Ding? It's alright, we can walk back together, it's not far anyway."
When Xia Qingqing heard him say it wasn't far, she gave him a strange look: "Big brother, do you know what you're saying?"
Zhang Jianguo was amused by her cute reaction: "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm used to it. We train every day in the army, so this little distance is nothing. You might be a little tired if you're not used to walking like this."
As he spoke, Zhang Jianguo reached out his hand to Xia Qingqing: "Let me carry the basket for you, so you can have an easier time."
Xia Qingqing did not refuse and quickly took the basket off her back and handed it to Zhang Jianguo: "Thank you, Brother Jianguo."
Zhang Jianguo carried a basket on his back and a package in his hand, and began to move forward with the heavy load.
On the way, Zhang Jianguo occasionally talked about his interesting experiences in the army. Xia Qingqing listened with great interest and found that walking was not so boring. She would occasionally chime in with a few words.
——
Shihe Production Brigade.
Song Ze has been helping Xia Qingqing cut pig feed whenever he has free time lately, and it has become a habit.
When he went up the mountain to look for Xia Qingqing today, he didn't see her.
Song Ze felt a vague, inexplicable sense of loss. After finishing work, he deliberately took a detour, choosing the road that passed by the Xia family's house.
As soon as I arrived at the Xia family's door, I saw Gou Dan standing there like a 'waiting-for-husband stone'. After thinking for a moment, I went up to him and asked, "Little Gou Dan, what are you looking at? Why don't you go inside to eat?"
Gou Dan glanced warily at Song Ze, then nimbly took a few steps back, avoiding his attack range.
"I'm waiting for my sister. She went to the county today and hasn't come back yet."
"Sigh, she must be having so much fun that she doesn't even think about asking me, her little brother," Gou Dan sighed like a little adult, clearly harboring a long-standing resentment towards his sister for not taking him to the county.
When Song Ze heard that Xia Qingqing had gone to the county, his eyes flickered: "Hasn't she returned yet? Does that mean she missed the oxcart?"
Dog Egg nodded, his tone tinged with worry: "Yes, Uncle Ding has been back for a while now. I don't know if my sister can walk that far. She's been so dawdling, she couldn't even get a ride in an oxcart."
Upon hearing that this scatterbrain had missed the oxcart again, Song Ze seemed to remember something and quickly walked towards the educated youth settlement.
When he returned to the educated youth settlement, the educated youth were just about to have their meal. Jiang Hai saw him walking out with his bicycle and quickly called out, "Song Ze, where are you going? It's almost time to eat."
"I have some business to attend to in the county. You guys eat first, don't wait for me," Song Ze said without turning his head and left.
Song Ze rode his bicycle at breakneck speed, wondering if Xia Qingqing, who had missed the oxcart, was now sitting on a roadside stone, rubbing her feet and wiping away tears.
After riding for about twenty minutes, Song Ze spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
Watching that carefree young girl chatting and laughing with a man in military uniform, he felt a pang of sadness, a feeling he couldn't quite describe.
Before Song Ze could figure out why he felt so uneasy, Xia Qingqing had already spotted him and waved happily at him: "Song Ze~".
"Where are you going? Aren't you going to work today?"
Song Ze did not answer, but silently looked at Zhang Jianguo.
The man had dark skin and a good physique, but his features were only average. Xia Qingqing's taste in men was really terrible.
Zhang Jianguo noticed Song Ze looking him up and down, and smiled at him in a friendly manner: "Hello comrade, I am Zhang Jianguo."
Xia Qingqing then realized she hadn't introduced the two of them yet: "Brother Jianguo, this is Song Ze, an educated youth from our brigade."
"Song Ze, you should have heard of Brother Jianguo, right? He is the second son of the battalion commander who is serving in the army."
When Song Ze heard Xia Qingqing call the other person "Brother Jianguo" but call him "Song Ze" in a dry, uninspiring way, his already uncomfortable mood worsened.
"Okay, I'll be going now if there's nothing else," Song Ze said, then got on his bicycle and rode towards the county town.
Seeing his rudeness, Xia Qingqing smiled awkwardly at Zhang Jianguo and said, "He probably has something urgent to attend to, don't worry about him."
Zhang Jianguo nodded knowingly: "It's okay, I understand."
Xia Qingqing secretly glared at Song Ze as he walked away: This guy is so rude, he didn't even acknowledge people greeting him.
Song Ze pedaled his bicycle furiously, having long forgotten why he came here in the first place.
Thinking of Xia Qingqing, that heartless woman, he felt like he had really lost his mind, actually running out without even eating because he was worried about her.
They live such a carefree life, always calling him "Brother Jianguo" (a nickname for the founding father of the nation).
Ugh, that damn Jianguo-ge.
Xia Qingqing and Zhang Jianguo walked all the way to the village entrance.
Xia Qingqing quickly refused when she saw Zhang Jianguo offering to help her carry the basket home:
"Brother Jianguo, you should go back quickly. You have no idea how happy the Captain and the others are that you are coming back. Go back and give them a surprise."
Seeing that Xia Qingqing really didn't need his help, Zhang Jianguo didn't insist: "Okay, I'll go back first then. You can come over to my house to play when you have time."
"Okay, bye-bye," Xia Qingqing waved to him.
Zhang Jianguo waved his hand in imitation of her, saying, "Bye-bye."
As soon as Xia Qingqing arrived at her doorstep, she saw the little figure sitting on the steps:
"Dog Egg, what are you doing sitting here?"
Gou Dan was looking down at the ants when he heard his sister's voice. He immediately looked up and said, "Sis, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, I would have thought you had been kidnapped."
Xia Qingqing flicked her younger brother's forehead: "What nonsense are you talking about? I was just held up by something."
"Let's go home quickly, Mom and Dad have gone to work, but they left you some food," Gou Dan said, pulling his sister along as they walked into the house.
Xia Qingqing took the basket off her back, opened her palm, and there were three fruit candies on it: "Want some?"
Dog Egg's eyes lit up when he saw the candy: "I want to eat it, sister, my dearest sister, can I have one?"
Xia Qingqing thought to herself that kids these days are really not greedy at all, and handed her hand to Gou Dan: "Take it, it's all yours."
Dog Egg cheered immediately, but only took two: "Sis, you eat some too."
Xia Qingqing stuffed the last piece of candy in her hand into Gou Dan's mouth: "I have more, so you can eat it without worry."
Dog Egg, with a candy in his mouth, squinted his eyes happily.
Meanwhile, Zhang Jianguo returned home, saw the unlocked door, and simply pushed it open and went inside.
At that moment, only a few children were playing in the yard, and they were all a little scared when they suddenly saw Zhang Jianguo's unfamiliar face.
The older Zhang Zhiming mustered his courage and asked, "Are you an uncle from the People's Liberation Army? We are very obedient, please don't arrest us, okay?"
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